The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-04-23

Hb poes ~ te"ut h'S tHe CUNer OlotEc
can, and waited for my customer, who
speedily plunged into commerce. / some.
times thought TINT he regarded nc with
friendly contempt, evinced by tho care.
less Offering Of utterly worthless articles
for barter. Then l would mildly rebukc
him and shit tip the trading post for a
few days. When he had been reduced by
rigid enforcement Of The non inter.
course act to hunger and humility, |
would open my port of commerce ana lie
would promptly and shamclcssly plumber
me. r0 ra -
When I left tho cabin left a few
pounds Of crackers and dried fruit in an
uncovered box for my friend Two
months aftcrward looked into tho cabin
to find the provision gone and in It's place
heap of rubbish, among which was a
small tobacco pipe which | supposed had
lost. My predatory friend came out of his
nest TO sec me. lie sat on n wall-log and
winkcd both of his bright eyes at me as
though to say, slow arc you, old boyY
am glad TO SEQ you," and then came
down the logs, one by one, with great
deliberation, never removing his eyes
from nc, and sat upright on Inc
floor. Evidently he was going to speak.
could almost hear him say, LETS
trade" feared that he would wave his
hand horizontally under his right car and
endeayor TO beguile me into disastrous
commercial transactions If stayed there
I'M instant longer. So l hurricdly said:
mo, not to-day. l don't want anything.
Goodbye" and left him forever. ~
That fail lived in two.story, double
rooted log house. There were long, mar.
row spaces about eight inches deep be-
tween the two roofs These spaces
abutted against the unchnked second
story. Shortly after we began to live in
the house pair of trading rats came TO
board with us. They built a nest in one
OF the spaces between the roofs and sys.
tematically plundered my wife and me.
They carried pounds of stolen goods to
their nest, and then they established
warehouse in long, narrow box which
lay on the roof ties. We kept step.lad.
der standing below this warehouse, and If
my wife found lump of mortar, or a
white and presumably choice bone, or
chip in her work-basket instead of
spool of thread, she would make disparag-
ing remarks about trading rats and 70 up
stairs TO their warehouse and do little
trading on her own account
The habit Of the trading rats to replace
articles which they stole with bits of rub
bish, or other articles which they had pre-
viously stolen and apparently wcaried Of
possessing, impressed me as u very queer
manifestation of instinct. l was, and
am, unable to explain it. The rats would
remain quiet for 4 few nights. Then,
some evening after dark, they would en-
bark in a commercial transaction of mag
nitudc, and throughout that night they
would work arduously. They mig int trade
dried apples and crackers from their store
for pruncs. If they did they dropped the
articles they bartered into the prrlnc box.
Then they would remain quiet for few
days; Then the leaving Of the lid off the
dried peach box would cause them 10
again engage in commerce, and that night
they would carry the peaches off, prob
ably trading the prunes they had pre-
viously stolen for the peaches, or they
might trade rubbish. The selection Of
the articles they bartcred seemed to be
controlled by whim only, and never by
convenience.
Another animal in which was GREATLY
interested when I lived in thn Rocky
Mountains was the "snowsboc rnbh;t 81
These rabbits live in The dense timber
cannot recall To fovc ovor soon ono In
the omen. In summer thew orc rroyish in
color in winter almost wb;,e Thny arc
apparently twice rs lorpc Nc tho common
cotton.tai} rabbit hu, oro re,1lv l;,tlc
heavier. They have n stnrvcJ cnoctrn.
like nnncarance Thow oro rot n, nn'
For t|avs The bnn,era eli nv, nv, COW ~,
shoe rabh;t. thnn ,vhor nv ho go 10 s J
nickinp his wnv throuch dance t;mhnr
one Of these rn;,nt sneetroa nnneara ho,
fore him. II hive bcen s,ortiad Nv tho
nnnearance Of one If ,hese rohh,,s ~.
rectly in front If mo whcn T , wac s,olt.
;ng oil; ond darad not sIaot for foar ~
alarming tho noble game me- and I T." Voc
never allie to find tbe form FROM which
It snronr and T hora soo o All J;,;ror, i
for II They arc str ;c,i" q %;n,,innd raf.
hit md never desccn1 ;yta tSn rai,o"s.
NOR IN thc iock rohh;,s ,,,,;o,, IT, ~
plains md course ovcr NO foo,h;,ls az.
Ter tho timber The two nn;mals rosom.
ble each other close,v Int tho d;s,;n- .
gushing charocteris,ic ~ IN No e sno "s
rabbit Is its immense foot ,vh;ch or" 1 cov.
cred with lonr fine hair w n The e a.u
lies of i,s toes This nrov;a H ~ ~"
ture is one Of Tho most remark,hlo If
which I have know,edae The amin n
inhabits a region which Il onnvoilv md
inevitably covered with doom snow j,rnm
fifteen to thirty feet Of snow fnlls in Tho
Rocky Mountains cvcrv w;n,cr IT mens.
ure rs the snow falls mot after Il Il
packed.) The rabbits which 1.-Two IN a
region where there il s,,ch m immense
fail of light snow must he milo ~ travcj
ever It's Surface in search If fnod md to
escapc from carniyoro,,s animals md tho
fierce birds of nrev which nhound in The
n!sni" a; supporter ny lcet OF oral-
,ho y sn sl1v an nI ~, aapSl!s would SINK lnl9
. .ho si I'm, "'iu ule. nature mas equlpPea
With I 1 i arme , 'Ge' 'G sPfeaa ; o.
~ .%e,e yea ns; ms enables them 10
tlhNCl oNCl BLOW WIFI tnp puSG (nu[